Related

Prince George is the capital of one of the fastest growing regions in Canada, and is the largest city in northern British Columbia with a population of about 80,000.

Given the size of the Prince George population and the city’s role as the service and supply hub for the diversity of business activities across northern B.C., it is not surprising that the health care and social assistance sectors have such a significant presence in the city’s economy.

Local organizations help set Prince George apart in these sectors through their leadership and innovation in the delivery of rural and northern health care. As home to the region’s largest and only teaching hospital, the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia, and with the $103.5 million recently invested in cancer care facilities, Prince George offers quality and diverse health care services, as well as many career opportunities related to health care.

Northern Health has its head office in Prince George and is responsible for the delivery of health care across northern B.C. Within NH, there are more than two dozen acute-care facilities, 23 long-term care facilities, public health units and offices providing specialized services. With such a large geographic region to serve, NH excels in the innovative use of technology to care for people as close to home as possible, and works with communities to deliver population health approaches that have a positive impact on the delivery of health care throughout northern B.C.

The Northern Medical Program, delivered in Prince George by the University of Northern British Columbia as part of the University of B.C.’s Faculty of Medicine, provides the UBC curriculum in a northern and rural context.

Students have the opportunity to learn at UHNBC and to participate in rural clinical experiences, while benefiting from small class sizes, accessible faculty and a campus that fosters interaction among students of multiple disciplines. Nearly half of the graduates who have completed their residency requirements are living in northern communities. The Northern Medical Program has also been successful in attracting physicians who want to teach and engage with students.

The main campus of the College of New Caledonia (CNC) in Prince George also offers a variety of medical training programs. CNC’s partnerships in the health field have allowed it to quickly adapt to industry and community needs to develop relevant programs. CNC has partnered with NH in developing the Medical Laboratory Technology and Medical Radiography Technology programs, as well as in making changes to the practical nursing program. In addition to being both practical and innovative, CNC offers some of the lowest tuition rates in B.C.

The growth in the variety of health services available in Prince George continues to enhance the quality of care for local and regional residents. The new BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North is just one example. The new facility in Prince George brings cancer services closer to home for residents living across northern B.C., so that patients and their families do not have to travel as far to access specialized cancer care. The Centre for the North is the BC Cancer Agency’s sixth regional cancer centre in the province. When it opened this past November, it brought radiation therapy treatment to the north for the first time. Located beside the cancer centre is the Canadian Cancer Society’s Kordyban Lodge, which officially opened on March 4. The Kordyban Lodge offers a comfortable and welcoming home away from home for out-of-town patients receiving care at the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North and their caregivers. he 25,000-square-foot Kordyban Lodge has 18 resident rooms (36 beds), along with an activity room, lounge, dining area, exercise facility, library, meditation room and outdoor spaces for relaxation. The Kordyban Lodge is the first of its kind in northern B.C. and the fourth to be built in the province.

The new BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North and the Canadian Cancer Society’s Kordyban Lodge represent an estimated $103.5-million combined investment in health care infrastructure in Prince George. These new facilities and the skilled professionals operating them, along with UHNBC, medical training opportunities and the many health care related businesses create the broad range of health care services available in Prince George.

Health care is only one of the amenities that make Prince George the capital of one of the fastest growing regions in Canada. It offers lifestyle and career opportunities not found in many other parts of the province or country. Opportunity is here — where are you?

Heather Oland is CEO of Initiatives Prince George.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Diverse, quality health care available in Prince George

Video

Business Videos

Best of Postmedia

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Ignore the diversions in the United States: athletes kneeling or standing during the national anthem; Republicans flailing and failing again on health care; a kick-boxing creationist possibly becoming senator from Alabama. Calamity looms elsewhere. We are hurtling toward war with North Korea. It may be as early as next month. […]

It wasn’t in the middle of a farmer’s muddy field or deep in the boreal forest where the Canadian oilsands truly struck pay dirt. It was inside Fort McMurray’s recreation centre. More than 1,400 oilpatch workers, corporate executives, provincial leaders and the country’s prime minister assembled 21 years ago in northern Alberta to grasp a […]

Google’s powerful search engine is defeating some court-ordered publication bans in Canada and undermining efforts to protect young offenders and victims. Computer experts believe it’s an unintended, “mind-boggling” consequence of Google search algorithms. In six high-profile cases documented by the Citizen, searching the name of a young offender or victim online pointed to media coverage […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.